Regeneration and Rose
by ilovecastiel18
Summary: The Doctor had just regenerated into Ten and defeated the Sycorax. Now, as he chooses his clothes, he thinks about the ability to regenerate and how it's not all that it's cracked up to be. But, he has Rose, which makes things easier. A little bit of hurt/comfort, angst, fluff, just the basic stuff that I always write about. One-Shot.


**Disclaimer: **I do not own Doctor Who. All characters, locations, etc. are the property of the BBC, Roger Davies, Steven Moffat, etc. etc. etc. Honestly, if I had worked on the show, I wouldn't have let David Tennant leave after only three seasons.

**Summary: **The Doctor had just regenerated into Ten and defeated the Sycorax. Now, as he chooses his clothes, he thinks about the ability to regenerate and how it's not all that it's cracked up to be. But, he has Rose, which makes things easier. A little bit of hurt/comfort, angst, fluff, just the basic stuff that I always write about. One-Shot.

**A/N: **I've been meaning to write a Doctor Who fic for a while, but nothing ever came to mind until now. Please leave a review if you like it!

….

Regeneration and Rose

….

It had been a very long day for the Doctor. He had regenerated, passed out, fought off a murderous Christmas tree, lost his hand, and then defeated the Sycorax. All of this while trying to convince Rose that he really was the Doctor, he had just changed his face and personality a bit.

Then, he had to come to the realization that Harriet Jones wasn't the same person that she had been before becoming Prime Minister. He had to watch as she destroyed the Sycorax even as they were fleeing, simply because they _had been _a threat, and might tell other planets about the Earth.

Yes, the Doctor wasn't always around, but he always seemed to show up when he was needed. There was no need to destroy the retreating ship.

As the Doctor browsed the Tardis's wardrobe in search of an outfit that would complement his new look, he let his thoughts wander to being a Time-Lord.

His race had always liked to pretend that they were superior, that they were above all races. That is why they had refused to help anybody, had simply sat back and watched as entire planets and species had been wiped out. The Doctor had always been an outcast because he cared. That had been his downfall with the Time-Lords.

Then, there had been the Time War, which had wiped out his race, leaving him and just a handful of Daleks out of the two former master races.

He didn't allow himself to dwell on the war for two long anymore, he refused to allow his heartbreak to cloud his everyday life. He preferred to remember the Time-Lords as a good race, not an arrogant one who had a hidden love of violence. The war had destroyed his race long before they had all died.

The Doctor found a nice brown pinstriped suit and tried it on, thinking that it would fit him nicely. As he tied the tie and buttoned the jacket, he realized it was a little tight in the middle. But, he kind of liked it that way.

As he began searching for some shoes and a coat, he let his thoughts wander onto Rose. He started to think about how devastated he had been when she said he wasn't the same person. It was true, in a sense, but he had been so terrified that he would lose her that he didn't think about the facts.

Yes, he was the same man, with the same memories and the same Tardis. But he had a different face, different teeth and hair, a different personality.

Having to figure yourself out over and over again was one of the biggest burdens of being a Time-Lord. Yes, he was lucky that he didn't die every time he received a life-ending injury, but he envied humans for being able to be who they were for their whole lives.

Every few years, he became an entirely different person.

The Doctor found an old pair of white high-top converse and decided they would go nicely with the suit. Be bent over and put them on, catching himself in the mirror that was hidden behind an old dress. He moved the dress aside to get a better look at himself.

As he stared at his new face and clothes, the Doctor was struck once again by how bittersweet regeneration was. He hadn't died, but sometimes it felt like it.

The Doctor ran one of his new hands through his messy new hair, letting it trail down the side of his new face. He traced over one bushy eyebrow and a cheekbone with his thumb, before letting his fingers brush over the freckles that were dotted over his thin, slightly crooked nose. His hand dropped to run along his narrow jaw, where there was just a hint of a shadow.

Yes, in a way he was handsome, he supposed. Certainly better than some of his former regenerations. He looked young and thin, almost too thin, but he had a bit of muscle tone in his skinny arms and chest. He let his hand trace over the sideburns that adorned his jawline, wondering if he should keep them. Figuring that they went with his new look, in a way, he decided to keep them for now and start looking for a coat.

He found one, a long, light brown trenchcoat that brushed over the tops of his new sneakers. As he swung it around his shoulders, he heard Rose enter the Tardis, calling out for him.

The Doctor smiled as he gave himself one more appraising look in the mirror. Yes, he looked good. He supposed he could deal with this regeneration. Rose was a big part of him accepting it. If she had left him… he didn't know if he would be handling it as well as he was.

"Coming, Rose!" the Doctor yelled, stepping out of the wardrobe and making his way to the main room of the Tardis.

"Where have you been – oh, that's a good look on you." Rose stated as he made his way into the room.

"Thank you." He muttered, walking forward and stopping a few feet from his friend.

"And you're… okay, and everything? There aren't any lasting effects from your regeneration? You're adjusting?" she asked, stepping a bit closer.

"I'm okay, Rose. Anyway…" the Doctor reached out and took Rose's hand, twirling her like a ballroom dancer. "It's always easier to adjust when there's someone there supporting you."

"Well, I didn't at first…" Rose started to protest, pulling herself up against the Doctor's side. He looped an arm around her shoulders and pulled her closer.

"I don't blame you. It's a hard to come to terms with something like regeneration. But it doesn't matter, you're here now." The Doctor gave Rose a wide, genuine smile, despite not knowing how it would look on his new face.

Rose smiled back, pulling away to rush out of the Tardis. "Come on, my mom's making Christmas dinner!" she yelled, bounding out onto the pavement.

"Yes, yes, I'm on my way!" he called after her.

The Doctor turned around and appraised his Tardis. Yes, being a Time-Lord had a lot of ups and downs, and regeneration was definitely something that took getting used to. But being able to travel through time and space, saving people, planets, whole galaxies, with his best friend by his side…

Yes, being a Time-Lord was definitely worth it.


End file.
